Death.

Taxes.

And the Green Bay Packers winning home playoff games.

Those were all certainties for 80 years, as the Packers went 13-0 in home playoff games between 1921-2001.

Since then, though, Green Bay is just 7-6 at Lambeau Field.

Michael Vick and the visiting Atlanta Falcons ended the Packers’ aura of home invincibility with a 27-7 rout of Green Bay in the 2002 wild card round. Since then, the Packers have lost five more home playoff games.

Green Bay is crossing its fingers that 2021 can be different.

The Packers routed Minnesota, 37-10, Sunday and wrapped up the NFC’s No. 1 seed. That means the road to Super Bowl in the NFC runs through Lambeau Field for a second straight year.

A generation ago, that was a good thing.

Today, the Packers are optimistic a pair of home games will lead to their first Super Bowl appearance in 11 years. But first, they have to bury the recent ghosts of Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and of course, Vick.

“It definitely feels amazing,” Green Bay running back A.J. Dillon said of capturing homefield. “It’s something that we’ve been continuously working toward or striving towards to get that. We know how important it is to have teams have to come through Lambeau.

“I say it all the time. We’ve got the best fans in football. We also have the elements, as you saw (Sunday). So, combine those two with all the talent and the team and the staff that we’ve got, and it’s going to be tough sledding for anybody. So definitely great to have the NFC side of the playoffs come through Lambeau.”

In theory, Dillon is exactly right.

Playing at Lambeau should be something that sends shivers down opponent’s spines.

The average low temperature in Green Bay in January is 9 degrees. And considering most playoff games are in the late afternoon or at night, it’s often colder than that.

Lambeau Field is the third-largest stadium in the league with a capacity of 81,441. And the Packers went 8-0 at home this year, making them the only team in the league with a perfect home record.

“It’s great always to get that first-round bye and to rest our bodies and get ready for the next opponent coming into Lambeau,” outside linebacker Preston Smith said. “It’s also great to have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That’s what guys pride themselves on and that’s what guys try to work hard to get.

“And guys have been working hard, they’re working their tails off this season, and we’re happy to have it and we’re happy to have earned it, and we’re happy for all of the chips to fall in our favor. And we’re just happy to go out there and keep on working hard and striving towards our goal.”

For that to happen, the Packers will have to play much better at home than recent Green Bay teams have.

Mike Sherman was the first Green Bay coach to ever lose a home playoff game, and he did it twice (2002 and 2004). Mike McCarthy lost three playoff games at Lambeau (2007, 2011 and 2013), while Matt LaFleur has lost one (2019).

Brett Favre was the quarterback for Green Bay’s first three home losses, while Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback for the last three.

Here’s a look at the six playoff games Green Bay has lost at home:

2002 — Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons routed the Packers in a wild card game, 27-7. Green Bay even had the benefit of a snowstorm, but couldn’t garner any momentum.

2004 — Minnesota toppled Green Bay, 31-17, in a wild card game. Vikings quarterback Duante Culpepper threw four touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss.

2007 — The New York Giants defeated the Packers, 23-20, in overtime in the NFC Championship Game. That marked Brett Favre’s final game as a Packer.

2011 — The No. 1 seeded Packers lost to the Giants, 37-20, in the divisional playoffs. Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, while Rodgers had his lowest passer rating (78.5) in 15 months.

2013 — San Francisco toppled the Packers in the wild card round, 23-20. Phil Dawson made three field goals, including the game-winner as time expired.

2020 — Tom Brady and Tampa Bay downed top-seeded Green Bay, 31-26, in the NFC Championship Game. Brady threw three early touchdowns to stake the Buccaneers to a 28-10 lead, then Tampa Bay held off a late Green Bay charge.

There was a time when the Packers were unbeatable at Lambeau Field in the postseason. Green Bay hopes to re-establish that playoff dominance in the next month and reverse an ugly trend of home playoff losses.

“It feels good to be the No. 1 seed, but we also know that it does not guarantee anything in the future,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’re going to continue to take it one day at a time, one game at a time, but hopefully this is something to build off of.

“I don’t think anybody in that locker room is going to take a deep breath like ‘hey, we’ve arrived.’ Every game basically from here on out is do or die and you have to prepare throughout the week to be your best, and certainly we know that going into each and every game.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2022/01/03/homefield-disadvantage-the-green-bay-packers-have-struggled-at-lambeau-field-in-the-playoffs/ 

Rob Reischel wrote: